Musings of an Android
by Mirai Gensao
Summary: Android 18's thoughts on life and the newest member of the gang. Post-Buu. One-shot.


Well, I finally wrote my very first oneshot. I usually take the epic approach, but this idea sounded too good to me, especially since they are both my favorite (female) characters in the series. Plus the DBZ world leaves a lot of open space for character interaction and even development where we the authors can fill things in. The only thing I'm not happy with is the title, but that tends to be my least creative area.

Disclaimer: The characters, the show, and everything else Dragonball are not mine (even if I still wish sometimes they were). I wrote this for fun.

Enjoy.

* * *

The girl was powerful. She had to admit at least that much. Save for her husband and his friends, the people of this planet were fairly weak and pretty annoying, including that girl's buffoon of a father. Granted at one point she had been like them. It was the time before Dr. Gero found her and her brother, a time she barely can and barely wants to remember. Her time as a minion for that man was filled with anger and the simple desire to find and kill Goku, but things quickly got much more interesting. She met the man who would become her husband and all of his weird and yet strangely intriguing friends. That bald man saved her from Cell and used a wish on the all-mighty eternal dragon for her benefit (and her brother's though at the time he had the wrong idea). Even if the ex-monk had royally pissed her off, the blackening sky brought her back to the lookout. She got the chance to overhear their deliberations on what to wish for next, and for the first time since awakening as an android, she had a positive thought. These guys were really nice. She wouldn't admit it, not yet, but she was drawn to the bald man and the ones he called his friends.

Any knowledge she had of them beforehand could not have begun to compare to what she would learn as she was slowly absorbed into the gang. She still wasn't the friendliest person around them, but at least she (almost) never tried to blow them up minus Vegeta on occasion. That man was just so obnoxious she really didn't know how his blue-haired mate could put up with him. Her dislike for the Saiyan warrants no more wasted thoughts, however. She was also not the normal person you would meet. She was actually very far from it, and no matter how weird the group was or how the humans and aliens could surprise the blonde, she had time to get used to it all. She moved in with the bald man, the pervert, and his talking animal pals, and then she married the man without a nose. They even had a daughter who looked very much like her father. An android married to a human and acquainted with aliens and their families. It was not the most normal life, but it was hers thanks to Krillin.

On the other hand, the buffoon's daughter was just casually thrown into it all. From what 18 gathered, the clever girl discovered Gohan was some sort of superhero and blackmailed him into entering the tournament and teaching her how to fly. Ki control was just the tip of the iceberg of strangeness that surrounded them all. That same day she also found out that her newest friend was really the one who defeated Cell and could turn his hair golden, which gave him even more super strength. To top it off, his friends and family were very powerful aliens, including Gohan himself. Plus his father was allowed to return to the world of the living for a day just to fight, and then they all had to go and stop a giant pink blob and a wizard. Even by Z Gang standards, this was not an ordinary day, but hey, life had to stay interesting somehow.

The daughter of the world champion then found herself on a quest with the non-fighters of the group to collect the seven mystical spheres. Again, this was not how any of them pictured spending their afternoon. Having already seen the dragon once before and having his great powers affect her, seeing him again was no big deal. In fact, it wasn't all amazing, much to the new girl's disagreement. The poor young fighter just couldn't grasp the idea of a mystical reptilian beast arising from seven balls to grant two wishes. That pain in the ass calling himself Oolong even not-so-subtly called her dumb, trying to mask it with a weak compliment. It was a humorous moment to interrupt the serious nature of the situation. And she was right in her retort to the talking ham. It would seem odd to anyone raised in a normal way (as mush as normal can be with having Satan attached to one's first name).

Then everyone died, and the world ended. This was something 18 hadn't done yet, but it wasn't so bad. It was much better than being swallowed by that overgrown bug or waking up covered in saliva. Then, finally and for once, Goku completely destroyed the bad guy. There was no coming back. The universe was safe yet again, hopefully this time for a while. Everyone went back to life as normal, even if it was a new and drastically altered version for the champ and his only child. Hercule had a little trouble adjusting to the "alien weirdoes", but Videl took all of the weirdness and the newly revealed information in stride. Anyone else would have run away screaming from them all, her father being a good example at first. Instead, she quickly and easily became one of them as if having knowledge of super-powerful aliens, dragons, and harnessing one's energy to fly were part of her life along.

18 never was one much for emotions and rarely allowed any through, including letting a situation visibly bother her. The whiny and pathetic humans were something she never strived to become, and this is how she viewed most of the world's population save for her husband and the others. It was nice to meet someone who wasn't like the rest of them, even if it was highly ironic who her father was. She was brave and not at all small-minded, taking everything in and going along with it all. 18 liked that level-headedness, something her husband could use more of sometimes. She wasn't just a friend of Gohan's anymore. She was one of them, part of their eclectic mix. She took that equally in stride.

Of course, judging by the way the young half Saiyan reacted to Krillin's teasing at the tournament, friendship wasn't all he felt. As the blonde stands there now watching the pair converse, they seem like ordinary teenagers and that not much has really changed, more so for her. By the way she has stuck by his side for almost the whole party, it is easy to in turn see what her feelings are. Suddenly things liven up as Bulma turns on some music, and the two chibis take to the floor right away. The old pervert gets his chance of dancing with the pretty blue-haired scientist, and even Vegeta and Piccolo tap along to the beat. With a mischievous smirk, the android gives the pair a shove into the center of the circle. They both look awkward, him a bit more, but she lets herself relax a little. With only a little cajoling, the young man attempts his sheltered hand at dancing, causing everyone some humor. The blonde still holds her smirk, this time at how much he probably doesn't even realize he is under his female friend's control. Like the other women of the gang, she has power over one of the universe's strongest people. She would probably never say so aloud, but there is no one else 18 would approve of entering into the group.

* * *

So...how'd I do? Comments and criticism are all welcome. Thanks for taking the time to read and especially to review if you do.


End file.
